The Night of the Storm
by angie1379
Summary: The title says it all. Based on clues revealed in the premiere, I had to revisit this night. "Looking at her awash in the soft glow of a forty-watt bulb, with an expression of such calm peace on her face, more delicate and vulnerable that he'd ever seen her, he knew he didn't have a prayer of stopping whatever was about to happen."
1. Chapter 1

Yes, I know I wrote a post-"Always" fic back in May, but after seeing "After the Storm" and getting a few more clues and a little more context about what might have happened, I couldn't resist revisiting that night. I hope you'll indulge me – and maybe even share your thoughts.

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Disclaimer – I own nothing.

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**The Night of the Storm**

The only light was from a small lamp on the nightstand. But it was enough.

Castle closed the door behind him and followed Kate into the room, watching as she looked around and took in this private place she had never seen before. He wondered what she was thinking but was almost too afraid to speak. He still wasn't sure this was really happening, and if it was, he hoped he was right to let it. Looking at her awash in the soft glow of a forty-watt bulb, with an expression of such calm peace on her face, more delicate and vulnerable that he'd ever seen her, he knew he didn't have a prayer of stopping whatever was about to happen.

"Nice room," she said, turning to look at him.

"Thanks."

Inanity seemed to be all he could muster. He wanted to say more, but he didn't know what. The part of him that had spent the past four years hoping for any sign from this woman that she felt something for him, that she was as aware of the relentless attraction between them, would have been content to follow placidly where she led, reacting gratefully to her every advance. But a larger part of him, the part that knew this day was inevitable, the part that had goaded and flirted, dug and pried at her, seeking to know her despite every obstacle she could throw up, demanded more than awestruck passivity.

In two steps, he closed the distance between them and placed him palm along her jaw, lifting her face until her eyes met his. Why did it suddenly feel so natural to touch her that way?

"Kate …"

That was as far as he got. Her voice was so soft when she interrupted words he hadn't uttered and didn't even know how to formulate. "Trust me," she whispered, hoping her eyes conveyed what her voice could not. "Later, we can talk. Just not now."

She knew he deserved more answers, but she wasn't going to sacrifice the current of desire, of love, that coursed between them. Too many times it had been severed by their own actions and fears. But not this time. This was a commitment she wanted to make, a threshold she wanted to cross, not only because she knew there was no going back afterward, but because she desperately wanted it. She wanted him. It was both a statement and a surrender. But most of all, it was just finally time.

Raising her mouth to his, she captured his lips once again, and in an instant the fire that had erupted between them moments before flared to life with explosive intensity.

Castle prayed this would not be his one and only chance to be with her, but if it was, he was not going to settle for being a spectator. He'd wanted her for too long, and he was determined to show her exactly what she made him feel and confirm for her exactly how great they could be together.

With those thoughts fighting for absorption in his mind amid the bevy of sensations her fingers and lips were causing as they coursed over his skin, he acted swiftly and decisively. His hands slid down her torso until they reached the hem of her shirt. In one fluid motion, he raised it over her head and tossed it aside. A moment later, his shirt joined hers on the floor. Then piece by piece they helped each other out of their clothes, neither rushed nor patient with the task, but simply eager to uncover more of the other and sample all that was revealed.

Castle took extra care to peel the sodden fabric from her skin before wrapping his arms around her naked form to try to bring some warmth back into the chilled body. But his mouth craved more of hers, and he lowered his head until their lips met. His hands burned a continuous path along her back, dipping to the curve of her behind before grazing up to cup her neck. She felt exquisite. She was everything and more than he'd thought she'd be. Neither shy nor aggressive, she gave and took in equal measure.

There was so much he wanted to do to her, not the least of which was simply stare at the glorious sight she made standing naked in his room. It was as surreal as it was provocative. Looking at her, taking it in, he thought of the velvet skin he wanted to taste and caress, the many places to explore and discover. When his tongue at her throat caused her to arch against him, he knew he could spend hours suckling at that tender hollow just to see how each nerve responded. Her breasts strained for his touch while he watched in awe as the dusky tips pebbled under his attention. When she gasped his name as his fingers fluttered tentatively toward the inviting juncture of her legs, he wanted to stop time just to absorb the scope of sensation and emotion surrounding them. Instead, he took what course was open to him and forged on, touching her first with delicate wonder then finally giving in to her body's demand for more.

He felt her knees buckle and used the opportunity to lay her gently on the bed. So many things he wanted to do, but none so much as one. He accepted that his every movement, his every intent was driven by that primal id, and he willingly drew on that long-latent part of his baser self. Perhaps it was raw possessive masculinity making a rare appearance in his psyche, but he needed nothing so much as to feel her around him, to know that at least once in his life he'd felt what it was to be inside this singularly extraordinary woman who was already a part of him in every other way. There was time for everything else – the rest of the night … tomorrow … forever. This first time was an affirmation, and yes, perhaps even a surrender of every pretense and false guise they had steadfastly – and ineffectually – hidden behind.

Her gaze was dark and her skin flushed as she wound her arms around his back and pulled him down to her. When their lips met, her body relaxed into the bed, and she welcomed him into the cradle of her thighs. She felt him shift and press against her. Almost of their own accord, her muscles tensed with near painful anticipation, and she grasped him impossibly close as he slid slowly and wondrously into her. Her fingers clutched at his back and her calves wrapped tightly around his hips, pulling him deeper. At last. An eternity of wondering, of waiting and dreaming and denying and hoping all melted away as they clung to each other, unmoving for the span of a heartbeat while a sense of solemn awareness settled around them.

And then instinct took over and pleasure began to mount once again. Together they moved, rising and falling, ebbing and flowing, giving and receiving. Her body tensed and relaxed in time to his thrusts so that she arched to meet him time and again. Her legs slid along his to push against the bed while her hands moved unceasingly from his back to his shoulders and chest then down his arms until their fingers twined. When their eyes locked and held, both knew such intensity could only last so long. Her name was a whisper on his lips, even as his floated from her mouth with each gasping breath. Together they pushed and climbed, meeting and receding, somehow knowing on a molecular level that the sensations coursing through them were borne of a perfect storm of all they'd been through and all they were together. When she tightened around him, he knew whatever restraint he had, whatever self-control he fancied himself in possession of, was nothing more than an ephemeral myth. Her body quickly gave way to shuddering waves of release that drew a strangled cry from her lips and brought her hot against him even as he drew his arms around her and held fast while his own limbs grew taut and at last collapsed in final surrender.

To be continued …


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – I own nothing.

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**The Night of the Storm**

From shoulder to toe, he felt the length of her body against his. Her breath was warm on his chest as her hands caressed his torso with lazy curiosity; her stomach and hips pressed deliciously against his side, and her legs twined through his until their feet brushed playfully together. They were wrapped in a cocoon of sated intimacy, and all he wanted to do was use the arm draped around her shoulders and back to pull her closer. She took the hint and snuggled as deeply into him as physics would allow. And still it wasn't close enough.

Years they had spent holding back and forcing themselves to refrain from physical contact dissolved completely. In its place was a newfound wonder and freedom to touch and taste at will. He finally knew exactly how soft the skin at her wrist was, and she finally got to run her tongue along the edge of his jaw, reveling in the feel of the rough stubble against her tongue, so much better than she imagined it to be. Their hands had sought and claimed the unexplored territory of the others' body knowing time would have to stop for them to get their fill.

For a few moments, neither spoke; neither knew what to say. Everything had happened so suddenly. An hour before, Castle had been resigned to removing himself from her life, and Kate had feared her last chance with him had been lost when she'd let him walk out of her apartment. Showing up at his door had been an exercise in self-sacrifice unlike any she had ever endured. She had been prepared to do anything to reach him, but had still been petrified nothing would be enough. She knew now it was a testament to how much he loved her that he let her in – and accepted what she offered.

She didn't know how to thank him for that – and she suspected now was not the time for gratitude. What they shared had not manifested from pity, but from love, respect, and far too much patience. She wanted to keep the focus on what had brought them together, not what had driven them apart. There was time for that talk later.

But before she could say anything, Castle's voice rumbled beside her.

"You okay?"

"Mmm, never better," was her breathy response.

She lifted her head to see him grinning at her and her heart broke at how close she'd come to forever being denied that smile.

"Will you think me a third-rate writer if I can't think of anything more creative right now than 'wow'?"

Her body shook with a silent chuckle before she admitted, "I couldn't have said it better myself."

Their eyes connected and danced with awestruck wonder. Without qualification, they both knew it could not have been more perfect. But underneath the languid afterglow was the undeniable truth of what had brought them to this moment, and Castle was still unaware of too many of those recent events. The gravity of the unknown weighed heavily on him.

"I thought I'd lost you," he said softly.

Maybe now wasn't the time for that statement, but there it was, the unvarnished truth that he needed to acknowledge.

"You almost did – more than you know."

"Can you tell me what changed since last night?" he ventured tentatively. "What brought you here, Kate? Not that I'm not thrilled you are," he said quickly as he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her against his chest, "but why? What happened?"

In a halting narrative, she told him, step by step, piece by piece, of her actions over the past twenty-four hours. "I stood at my mom's grave and convinced myself she was worth any cost – that the truth was worth losing you, even losing my life. I was so angry and confused, and it was the only way I could go on."

She told him about the hotel, the wedding album, and the confrontation with Maddox, ending with her hanging desperately to the ledge of the roof. "He didn't even break a sweat. I've never been that helpless against someone. And if it wasn't for Ryan …" she let her words trail off, unable to give voice to that unthinkable near-fate.

She didn't know how he'd react to the news that she'd resigned, but he had a right to know. So she slowly recounted Gates' outrage and her realization that her job wasn't worth the price she was paying for it. "I need to step away, to find out who I am without this."

For the first time since she'd started talking, Castle spoke up. "Are you sure this is the way you want to do that?" There was no judgment in the question, only concern.

She nodded without reservation. "Maybe I don't _have_ to do it this way, but I want to. It's not who I want to be right now. I hung from that ledge, having no clue how I could possibly survive, but it wasn't my job, or Maddox, or the person behind this, or even my mother I was thinking about. It was you."

She kissed him then, pouring everything she felt into it, every echo of his voice in her mind, every apology for the hurt she'd caused and the hurt she'd survived. "It was always you," she said. "I just didn't know it until now."

Wanting to relieve the tension he felt in her body, he resolved to let deeper matters drop and focus on her presence in his bed, which he considered nothing less than a divine gift he had done nothing in his life to deserve. But that didn't mean he wouldn't take it.

"As glad as I am that you're here, I'm sorry for what you went through to get here," he said, as his hand skimmed her side.

"I'm sorry for what we both went through," she offered back. Then, rolling herself on top of him to signal the beginning of more enjoyable matters, she added, "But for this, I'd do it all again."

Unable to disagree, he instead gripped her hips. Then, feeling arousal surge through him at the slide of her body along his, he eased himself inside of her. He nearly lost his tenuous control it when he heard her murmur, "So worth it."

She smiled down at him and lowered her mouth to his while her hips rocked against him. Wanting more, he leveraged himself up until she was practically sitting in his lap. Taking full advantage of the position, he brought his mouth to her breasts, delighting in the puckered evidence of her arousal. The taste of her mixed with the lingering essence of rain, and the feel of her hands threading through his hair, holding him fast, was nearly his undoing. He drew his mouth over her scar, kissing it tenderly before continuing up the column of her throat. Her lips met his savagely as the final visages of restraint abandoned him. With a last cry of her name, he gave himself over once again to the blinding abyss she carried him into.

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_One more chapter …_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer – I own nothing.

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**The Night of the Storm**

When she reluctantly rolled off him moments later, he turned so that her back was brought firmly against his chest and his hands retained free access to her abdomen.

"Are you out to kill me tonight? I'm not exactly eighteen anymore."

"What's the problem, Castle? Can't keep up?"

The banter was their trademark as well as their signal that all was right with the world. If that endured, the rest would fall into place. "For you, I'm willing to die trying."

Part of Kate wanted nothing more than to burrow in deep against his chest and let eight to ten hours of sleep erase the trauma of the past day. But she wasn't yet ready to cut short this time with him, this first night spent in his arms, by trading consciousness for sleep. Not quite yet anyway. She wrapped her arms around his where they crisscrossed in front of her and pulled his arms tighter.

"Thank you, Castle."

"For what?"

It was a familiar conversation, but that didn't make it any less meaningful.

"For waiting."

He leaned in until his face was against her cheek and whispered softly, "Always, Kate."

Minutes passed in silence, and Castle thought she'd fallen asleep in his arms, a feeling akin to heaven. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on her head. He wasn't especially tired, despite their recent exertions, but there was no place on Earth he'd choose to be at that moment other than wrapped around Kate Beckett.

"Falling asleep back there?"

He startled at the sound of her voice. "Thought you were."

"I could, but I don't want to. This feels too good to sleep through." She turned in his arms just enough to look up at him and brush her mouth along his jaw. Feeling her stiff hair, tangled and half-dry, scratch against her shoulders as she turned, gave Kate an idea. "You wouldn't happen to have a shower I could use, would you?"

He grinned at her rhetorical question. "As a matter of fact, I do. Why? You feeling a little dirty, Kate?" The innuendo was hardly original, but she smiled anyway because the predictably was endearing.

"Oh, most definitely," she teased seductively, running a finger down his chest before deadpanning, "I think I'm growing scales from the rain."

"Well, we can't have that."

Throwing the covers off them, Castle climbed out of bed, then just stopped and started at the sight of her lying across his sheets, gorgeous and utterly unaware of it.

"You alright, Castle?"

He blinked himself out of his reverie and answered honestly, "Don't know if I ever will be again."

Before she could respond, he turned and headed toward the adjoining bathroom while she scrambled of the bed to follow, taking a moment to appreciate the spectacular view of his backside disappearing through the doorway.

Taking in the marble tile, the double shower, sunken tub, dual sinks, and an impressive expanse of mirror, Kate expelled a low whistle. "Wow, looks like a suite at the Ritz."

Castle shot her a smile, then grabbed towels from the closet and commenced to turn on the taps in the massive shower that was fronted by a heavy glass door. Immediately, the room began to fill with steam, and Kate felt the lingering chill from the rain and the soreness in her muscles from her encounter on the rooftop begin to ease as the temperature rose.

When she stepped under the spray, she thought she'd melt from the languid relief that overcame her. She let the water wash over her hair and body, using her hands to scoop and spread the hot liquid over her arms and neck before reaching immediately for the shampoo to rid her hair of the effects of the rain. Eventually, it was the silence that caught her attention. Castle hadn't uttered a peep, and she opened her eyes, clearing them of the residual suds that had dripped from her hair, to find him staring at her looking utterly dumbstruck. She nearly laughed at the slack expression on his face.

"Castle?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah … I'm good."

Meeting his eyes, she cocked her head to the side and said, "You just gonna stand out there, or are you going to join me?"

He bobbed his head eagerly and stepped into the humid confines of the oversized stall.

Kate wasted no time drawing him against her slick body, running her hands up his chest to lock behind his neck and bring his mouth to her. He kissed the water from her lips and stepped toward her until they were both standing under the wide and generous spray.

Finally, they broke apart and Kate reached for the designer soap that smelled faintly of lemongrass and something richer, more masculine. She worked up a thick lather with the nearby loofa. "Such a metrosexual," she mumbled with a coy smile.

"You complaining? Because I'm sure I have a bar of Dial around her somewhere if you prefer."

Not deigning to answer, she handed him the body sponge and said instead, "Give me a hand?"

"No, but I can give you two."

Kate's eye-roll was cut short by the dueling sensations of Castle's soapy hand and the rough texture of the loofa moving on alternating circles over her shoulders. He moved the sponge along her collarbone before dragging it across her breasts, deliberately teasing the sensitized peaks as he squeezed the soap over her skin and watched the water carry it down her abs and legs toward the drain. The torment was more than she could take, and she decided it was his turn.

She took the loofa from his hand and began using it on him, swiping and swirling it across his chest then down his stomach to the flat plane between his hips. His arousal responded to her proximity, vaguely surprising him that he could react so decisively so soon after their second encounter. The woman truly did have some magical hold over him. As if in confirmation, she pressed herself against him, discarding the sponge, and claiming his lips in a deep, wet kiss. Sipping at his jaw and chin, she began sliding her body down, and down further until her knees met the hard surface of the tile.

"Kate … are you …"

His words were cut off with a sharp intake of break as her mouth surrounded him. Her hands skimmed along his legs, then reached up to lace with his. All the while, the water cascaded over them, and Castle struggled to brace himself against the slick tile, not sure how long he could remain standing.

It was a bold move, she knew, but desire flooded through her, and she wanted him in every way she could have him. Hearing him gasp above her and feeling his fingers clench and flex in response to her movements only affirmed her actions.

But then his hands were brushing her shoulders, and suddenly he was pulling her to her feet once again. "That's a favor I look very forward to returning in the near future," he gasped, his voice low and raw. "But right now, I need this."

His mouth was on hers in an instant as he pushed her against the wall of the shower. He pulled her knee around his hip and said a prayer of thanksgiving for her supreme athleticism when she wrapped both legs around him as he sunk into her. Pinned against the wall, she moved against him, feeling his thighs quiver in their effort to sustain her weight. She used her arms to find what little purchase she could on his back, climbing against him even as her mouth sought his neck and shoulder before returning to his lips. Their tongues wrestled and their hips thrust together, becoming more erratic as the intensity grew. In a feat of supreme strength and control, Castle removed one hand from its place under her legs to place it between them, stroking her in seconds to a frenzy that matched his own. Her body bucked and shuddered as she shattered around him, pulsing and quivering, until with one final thrust he froze against her and gave himself over to the blinding release.

Fearing a loss of all muscle control, Kate unwound her legs and slid them slowly to the floor, where she hoped they'd hold her up. Immediately, Castle's arms came around her and pressed her against the wall while he buried his face in her neck, each using the other for support until they regained some composure. Eventually, Castle drew back, but not before kissing her softly and deeply under the spray. Silently, he turned the taps off and opened the foggy door to retrieve their towels.

A rush of cooler air swept in, and Kate was grateful for the oversized terrycloth that soon enveloped her.

Turning toward her, with his own towel in his hands, he said simply, "You truly are amazing."

Her blush might not have been visible because her skin was already flushed from the shower, but that didn't make it any less real. "You're not so bad yourself," she replied, faintly recalling the night once upon a time she'd said somewhat similar to him.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Nothing that wasn't worth it," she returned, combing her fingers through her clean, towel-dried hair.

Looking closely at her neck and shoulders, he pushed her for more. "What about from earlier, with Maddox?"

She considered deflecting, but realized if things continued in this new direction, he'd see for himself soon enough. "I'll probably feel it more in a day or so. I don't bruise easily, but there will probably be some muscle strain and impact contusions."

"Kate, I'm sorry."

She reached out and caressed his face. "Don't be. It's over, and it was a small price to pay for what came of it. I'm here, aren't I?" she asked, then tried to lighten the moment by adding, "And if I can't walk tomorrow, it won't have anything to do with what happened before I got here."

He smiled at that and nodded in agreement. "I can certainly vouch for that."

Dry, warm, and sated into exhaustion, they shuffled back to the bedroom. Castle followed her under the covers and enfolded her in his arms. "I'm not going to wake up alone tomorrow and find this was all a dream, am I?"

"Not a chance," she replied confidently, snuggling against him and closing her eyes. If there was a time in her life she'd ever felt better, she couldn't think of it.

As her head sunk into the pillow and Castle's arms settled around her, she knew sleep would be quick in coming. Softly, she drew on two familiar words she knew said more than they ever had before, "G'night, Castle."

Already drifting off, his voice filtered through the fog to carry his reply straight to her heart.

"Until tomorrow, Kate."

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_Fin_


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